The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has created NavIC, a regional satellite navigation system. The name derives from the phrase “Navigation with Indian Constellation.” It is similar to the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), but with a few differences. For one thing, it is intended to be more accurate for the region it serves. Second, it is intended for use in other areas such as disaster management, vehicle tracking, and so on.
The Indian government recently announced that they are mandating that all smartphones sold in the country must have support for NavIC, their version of GPS. This has caused some confusion among consumers, so let’s take a look at what NavIC is and why the government wants it on all smartphones.
What is NavIC?
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NavIC) is a satellite-based navigation system that provides precise real-time positioning and timing. It is intended to provide position, velocity, and time measurements within India and the surrounding region up to 1500 metres in elevation. The system is made up of seven satellites, three of which are in geostationary orbit (GEO) and four of which are in inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO).
The GEO satellites are positioned over the equator at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. They remain stationary with respect to the Earth’s surface and revolve around the planet at the same speed as the Earth’s rotation. The IGSO satellites are positioned at an inclination of 29 degrees with respect to the equator. They appear to move from west to east with respect to the stars owing to their orbital motion.
The NavIC system offers two services: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS) (RS). The SPS is free to use and can be accessed by anyone with a compatible receiver. The RS is encrypted and intended for use by authorised users such as the Indian military. Two more satellites, IRS-P8(I) and IRS-P8(A), round out the NavIC constellation and serve as backups for the other seven satellites. Rubidium atomic clocks provide highly accurate timekeeping on all seven satellites.
What are the benefits of NavIC?
As an alternative to the American GPS, India’s space agency, ISRO, has developed NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). The system consists of seven satellites, three in geostationary orbit and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit.
The main benefit of NavIC is that it will provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Time (PVT) information to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. In addition, it will also provide two types of supplementary services – Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS). While the former is available to all users, the latter is meant for authorized users only.
The government’s plan for NavIC
The government intends for NavIC to provide India with more accurate and reliable navigation and timing services that are independent of the Global Positioning System (GPS). The navigation satellite constellation, which consists of seven satellites, is known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The system has been designed to provide users with accurate position information in India as well as a region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, covering the majority of South Asia.
The government plans to make NavIC technology mandatory in all smartphones sold in India so that people can take full advantage of its benefits. This would mean that phone manufacturers would need to ensure that their devices are compatible with the system. The move is likely to benefit not just consumers but also businesses that rely on accurate location data for their operations.
Why government want NavIC on all smartphones?
The government believes that having NavIC on all smartphones will increase the technology’s adoption and allow more people to benefit from its accuracy. Furthermore, the government sees NavIC as an important component of its plans to build a strong digital infrastructure in the country. The government hopes that by making NavIC available to all smartphone users, it will encourage more businesses and developers to create applications and services that use the technology.
